By Goya Dmytryshchak
Altona Meadows’ Carmel Walker has received an Order of Australia Medal for helping train doctors and midwives to serve the Pacific Islands.
Ms Walker has worked with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for more than three decades.
“Often people in the Pacific – and I’m talking about medical professionals and midwives – are very isolated,” Ms Walker said. “My work was in medical education for doctors, and then we also branched in to midwives because midwives have a very important role.
“I found that through encouraging people and giving them links and networks, they could be the best that they could be.
“If you empower people and give them the resources to be their best, they will rise to the occasion.”
In 1995 Ms Walker was a founding member of the Pacific Society for Reproductive Health.
Her work has taken her to Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, helping them in areas such as family planning and reducing maternal mortality rate.
While she retired last year, Ms Walker remains connected to the area and started the charity Beanies for Babies in the Pacific.
Newport’s Reverend Ronald Mark was made an officer of the OAM for services to the community. The Anglican priest cofounded the Australia Karen Foundation and is a member of the Hobsons Bay Interfaith Group.
Laverton’s Colin Campbell received an Australian Fire Service Medal in recognition of 29 years’ work with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, including 16 years as a Leading Firefighter and the past decade as a multicultural liaison officer.
